Etsy – Discover Handmade Items You Can’t Find Anywhere Else

Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade arts and crafts. It allows people who make their own items to list them for sale, similar to eBay, without the bidding. It is a popular marketplace in DIY circles and even has vintage items sold as well. It’s a good place to find one of a kind or odd ball items you may not see anywhere else.

Idea 10/10

The concept behind Etsy’s is to give people in the art and craft community a place to list their handmade items for sale to others who have similar interests. It targets those already looking for hand crafted items, making it easier to make a sale than people who randomly come across a handmade item. This is a good concept, as it is like an online craft fair that is open 24/7.

Design 7/10

Their website loaded quickly, which is an important factor when trying to keep the attention of viewers. However, the first thing we noticed was that the home page seemed a bit washed out. By this, we mean the white space was overpowering and made the rest of the elements blend together and giving the appearance of being cluttered. The color scheme could also be hard for those with vision issues.

Utility 10/10

The purpose of their service is to target those with similar interests and bring them and the creators together in one large marketplace. This increases the utility as it highlights the fact sellers are not simply wanting on the random person looking for handmade items, that everyone on the site is already interested in hand crafted stuff. Couldn’t ask for better target marketing, right?

Price 7/10

Etsy is free to join, with no monthly fees. The only costs are for purchases (obviously), and when listing items. The listing fee is only $0.20 per listing, and they remain active four months, or until sold. Upon selling, there is a transaction fee of 3.5% and payment processing fee of $0.25 + 3%. This brings the total of a sale up to $0.45 + 6.5% at the time of writing this. Compared to another online marketplace, this is average and lower than some other well-known sites.

Overall, if you are a crafty person and would like to begin selling your hand crafted items, or you have a bunch of vintage items you would like to sell, we recommend checking out Etsy. It’s simple to navigate, free to join and it’s only $0.20 to list an item that stays live up to four months, with reasonable commission fees.